


please, call me bruce

by brucethors



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Confessions, First Kiss, M/M, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Thor's POV, bruce's pov, it's thor dealing with what happened during ragnarok, there's angst but it's in the second chapter, they are both hopelessly in love with each other someone please help them, this is my first fic ever so pls bear with me here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-17 15:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14835059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brucethors/pseuds/brucethors
Summary: when do thor and bruce realize they're in love with each other? well, they're both idiots, and it takes the events of ragnarok for them to finally act on it.





	1. i'm here

the first time they realize they’re in _love_? well, it happens at different times for the both of them. you can’t even pinpoint when it happens precisely. it develops, on both ends, slowly, without either of them realizing it until a long ways down the road.

for bruce, it hits him all at once after ragnarok. when they finally get a chance to breathe, to collect themselves, and fully appreciate how lucky they are to be alive, _it hits him_.

thor has always been one of his closest friends. sure, the other avengers, his friends, cared about him and looked out for him and calmed him down when the big guy threatened to show, but none of them were like thor.

not even natasha was on the level of thor, and -- _actually_ , he’s going to keep her out of his head for now. that whole situation was… a mess, but at least hulk seemed to like her. he doesn’t like many people.

thor always seemed to find bruce in the quiet moments when he wasn’t doing his best. everyone else liked to give bruce his space and privacy, but thor? he would seek him out. he wouldn’t always say anything. actions spoke a lot louder than words.

in more times than not, bruce would be curled into himself and shaking while trying to block off the rest of the world. his brain would be spiraling into a dark place, the hulk still roaring and grunting in his head. those moments were fucking terrible, they were hard to deal with alone, but then… a large warmth would appear beside him. thor would just sit there, silently giving him support.

sometimes a hand would rest on his shoulder and give it a light squeeze. if bruce was doing really bad, he’d lean into that touch and curl up against thor’s side completely, body shaking with his eyes screwed shut. it helped, and thor seemed to know that.

so, yeah… thor and him had a bond. he considered him a close friend -- which was fucking weird for him to think sometimes, because -- friends? with a god? the god of thunder? bruce didn’t feel worthy of it sometimes, but life is fucking weird, generally. somehow, he has thor’s friendship and he cherishes it.

having thor there with him on a completely foreign planet that he knew nothing about was a blessing. without thor he might’ve completely lost it. without thor, he probably wouldn’t be here. hulk hadn’t been too keen on letting him out.

_thanks, asshole, for taking those two years away from me._

he bites back those bitter feelings. there wasn’t time to think about that or dwell on it, because, _hello_ \-- alien planet! pressing matters.

all of that went by in a blur. escaping the alien planet -- only to go to thor’s home and fight an evil sister? that part… he doesn’t remember much of _that_ part. he remembers jumping off the craft and then everything going black.

bruce doesn’t know how much time had passed since then, but when he wakes up on yet another ship he groans and holds his head, feeling extremely disoriented. his head throbs and a whimper passes his lips involuntarily.

“...banner?”

the voice, the oh so familiar voice, gets him to sit up on his side and crack his eyes open, brow furrowed. he sees a figure sitting in a chair near the bed he’s lying on. it only takes him a moment to register who it is.

“thor?” his throat is dry and his voice cracks. he licks his lips and slowly sits up the rest of the way, back resting against pillows. “where -- where are we?” confusion floods his senses and his eyes flit around the room, trying to make some sense of where he is.

“big ship. asgard is gone. destroyed.” as thor speaks, he stands so he can walk over and sit on the edge of the bed that bruce is on.

“oh.” a large exhale leaves him, and a deep sorrow fills his chest. “i -- i’m sorry, thor. about your home, your people -- _oh god_ , are the people okay?”

a hand lands on his knee and he stops talking (it’s what he does when he’s panicky).

“we got everyone that we could aboard this ship. unfortunately, asgard is gone, but… we will find somewhere new.” thor smiles, but bruce can tell there’s something off about it. as if he’s been rehearsing what to say, and practicing that damned smile. that’s not the smile he usually gets from thor.

“okay, well, that’s -- hey. what’s with the eyepatch?” suddenly, he’s sitting up more so he can lean in to touch thor, hand reaching out towards his face. in the past week they’ve been very touchy feely with one another. (neither of them realize what they’re doing. it just happens.) “thor, are you okay?”

the god grabs the hand that was reaching towards him and pulls it close, fingers slowly intertwining with his. “i’m fine. the eye was just a… minor loss. besides,” thor grins, and this time the smile is actually genuine. “i think it suits me!”

bruce smiles in response and subconsciously squeezes thor’s hand. he very slowly scoots over so that he’s sitting shoulder to shoulder with his friend, a blanket draped over his lap. “well, when you’re so positive about it, yeah. it does.” he chuckles and shoulder bumps him; thor bumping him in return. their fingers are still laced together, but neither of them make an attempt to change that. silence hangs between the two of them, and he feels like there’s something else hanging in the air between them, but -- before either of them can process what it is, there’s a loud knock on the door and it has bruce nearly jumping out of his skin, his hand being ripped away from thor’s.

valkyrie steps into the room and glances between the two of them before leaning against the doorway and loosely folding her arms over her chest. she looks really, _really_ tired. how long has it been since any of these people have slept?

she says something about needing to talk to thor; and with an apologetic smile (is that a twinge of sadness in his eye?) thor leaves the room with her, and tells bruce to rest as he walks out of the room.

banner blinks a few times and flops down on his back, eyes locked onto the ceiling. his heart is thumping loudly in his ears, and he unknowingly keeps glancing at the doorway, waiting for thor to come back. he doesn’t.

eventually he gives up and drifts into his thoughts, and before he knows it, he has drifted off into sleep again.

 

hours have passed when bruce wakes up again. he’s feeling a _hell_ of a lot better than when he had woken up previously, and he rubs at his eyes and face in an attempt to wake himself up more.

the ship is quiet, so he can only assume that everyone else is sleeping.

not having thor at his bedside feels wrong. having the company beside him when he woke up before was comforting, especially on a ship that he doesn’t recognize, which is definitely hurtling through space at speeds he doesn’t want to think about.

he exhales slowly and rubs at his face once more before pulling himself out of bed and making his way out of his room. bruce glances down the hall to his left, then right, but doesn’t see any activity. just a bunch of doors to rooms that are closed, or they’re open but there’s no light coming out from within them.

just as he’s about to turn back to his room, he spots a light to the right. it’s pretty far down the hall, and it’s a dim glow, but that _has_ to mean someone is awake. right now, he doesn’t necessarily care who it is. bruce won’t admit it out loud to anyone, but he really doesn’t want to be alone right now. he doesn’t feel comfortable.

so, with that thought, he starts making his way towards that light, the sounds of his footsteps quietly echoing in the hallway. he draws closer and closer, and when he finally reaches the room he pauses, hand hovering near the door so he can knock. he never does, though, because he sees who’s in the room.

thor.

he gently pushes the door the rest of the way open with his foot. his friend doesn’t seem to have noticed him yet, back hunched and forehead resting on his hands, as if he’s praying.

bruce clears his throat and thor jolts, and the scientist is apologizing immediately.

“ _sorry_ , sorry — i couldn’t sleep, and i saw your door open, so i—“ he’s abruptly cut off when thor stands and suddenly he’s standing in front of him with two long strides across the room. before he can process it, he’s being wrapped up in two big, warm arms and his face is pressed against an equally warm chest.

after the initial shock wears off, bruce blinks a few times and wraps his arms around thor, head resting on his shoulder while his eyes drift shut. they stay like that for a minute, maybe two, before he ruins the silence by talking.

“hey, are you—“

he’s cut off, again, by thor pulling away and stepping back, but he doesn’t stop touching him. there’s a hand on his shoulder, and he glances at it before meeting his gaze.

“i’m fine, banner. just…” thor visibly deflates, showing how tired and worn down he is. “my father, my home planet… it’s gone. i feel like i could’ve… prevented all of this, somehow, but i didn’t. i don’t even know where to take these people, i don’t—“

now it’s banner’s turn to do the comforting. “hey hey hey hey,” he says it calmly and grabs thor’s wrist and leads him over to his bed, and thankfully, thor willingly follows. they sit on the edge of it and bruce wraps an arm around his shoulders. what happens next is usually only something that bruce does.

thor leans over and loops an arm around bruce’s waist, face pressed into the crook of his neck. his heart begins racing, but he forces himself to stay calm. this is fine, this is what friends do.

“you did everything you could, honey.” the term of endearment passes his lips as if it was a natural thing to say. bruce bites his lip, fingers starting to slide through the short, dark blond hair in a repetitive motion. “you saved your people and that’s what matters. i’m sorry asgard is gone, it _fucking_ sucks—“ fuck, he’s not great at comforting, is he?

thankfully, thor looks up at him and sits up slightly, so that their faces are level with each other again. there seems to be something entirely different about thor’s mood already. for some reason, the way he’s looking at him, a warmth spreads through his chest. it nearly knocks the breath out of his lungs.

“banner,” his voice is soft. “don’t apologize. i was… having a hard time before… before you came in here. truly, all i need is your company right now.” thor smiles, really smiles, and places a hand on bruce’s jaw.

he’s blanking, completely blanking out, and he can’t think of something to say for what seems like minutes. it was only seconds.

“— _bruce_. you can call me bruce, thor.”

the hand on his face shifts slightly, and fingers are threading into his hair. the feeling that was between them earlier is back, but it’s stronger. he’s so fucking transfixed on the man in front of him, someone could pinch his ass and he wouldn’t respond to it.

“ _bruce_.” thor says it, and somehow, hearing thor say it is the best thing he’s heard in awhile. his entire body floods with that warmth that had previously filled his chest. “bruce…” thor says it again, their faces are merely inches apart now, and the only thought that is going through bruce’s head is _please_.

“thor?”

he’s not sure what to do with his hands, he’s just not entirely sure what to _do_ right now at all. it doesn’t matter, though, because thor talks again, voice low and quiet.

“may i kiss you?”

if he hadn’t been focused entirely on him, he would’ve missed the question. it was asked softly, meant only for bruce. it has him _reeling_. for once, bruce banner is fucking broken. he hates it. any other time he’s great at thinking, he can come up with a response, or — or _something_!

after his moment of internal frustration with himself, all he can manage to do is nod, not trusting his own voice to work. as soon as he nods, lips are crashing against his in a chaste kiss.

the kiss is fucking amazing, better than anything he may have fantasized. thor’s lips are soft, softer than they look, and his beard brushes against his chin stubble and even _that_ feels fucking incredible. he’s so damn starved for touch, for affection, and it’s evident in the way bruce is kissing thor back, desperately. his arms are looping around thor’s shoulders and neck and he’s climbing into his lap, lips never leave his.

“ _thor_ ,” he murmurs against his mouth; so full of emotion he feels like he’s about to burst. he’s thought about his feelings regarding thor for a while now. this — this _crush_ he’s had on him. but he never, _ever_ , planned to act on it. he didn’t even think in his wildest dreams thor would return his feelings. so he never said anything.

but here they are, kissing. over and over and over.

“bruce, _bruce_ —“ it seems that the only thing either of them can say is each other's names, but that alone speaks a thousand words. their touches are so desperate; touching each other on the shoulders, neck, chest, back— wherever they can reach.

a minute later bruce is suddenly on his back with thor towering over him and for a moment he really feels like maybe he died on asgard and went to heaven. so, like the idiot he is, he asks, “is this real?”

that earns a laugh from thor and he leans down to press another, firm kiss to his lips. “very real, my dear.”

 _dear_. he melts right into the mattress and it feels as if his face is going to split with how wide he’s smiling at the man above him. “sorry, this just _really_ feels like heaven to me, i had to make sure.” banner’s fingers thread into the hair on the back of thor’s head and he drags him down for another kiss. they keep going at it, but a question nags at him so eventually he pulls away just enough to talk, swollen lips brushing against swollen lips.

“how long?” it’s asked quietly, and thor blinks in confusion.

“how long what, bruce?”

“how long have you — felt. y’know… felt like you wanted to—“

“months. maybe more.”

bruce shuts up and listens. he doesn’t know what to say to that.

thor moves so that he’s lying on his side beside bruce, a hand on the small of his neck so he can hold him close. “i’ve always… thought you were gorgeous, banner. there’s always been something about you that has drawn me to you.” thor is tracing bruce’s jawline with his fingertips and brushing a thumb over the spot below his eye. “you’re always so fascinating with your knowledge and smart thinking, and—“ he exhales, a grin on his lips. “...i’m at a bit of a loss for words.” thor cradles his head in his hand and leans in, but only to rest his forehead against his, eyes drifting shut. “you are an amazing man, i never thought you’d feel the same for me.”

bruce is still shocked and it feels like someone kicked a soccer ball and it hit him square in the gut, because he’s choking on his words. they don’t want to come out.

“oh, thor,” he breathes, face burying into his neck. he can feel that his own face is burning, so he’s _happy_ to keep his face hidden here. “thor, _honey_ —“ that time, the term of endearment was deliberate. “you’re so stupid.” he chuckles, softly, and pulls back to kiss him again.

“look, we— we have things to talk about. later.” bruce cradles his jaw, and he finally has a chance to study thor’s features. a pang of concern tightens something in his chest and his brow furrows.

“later. after you get some damn sleep. no — don’t object, thor. you’re _sleeping_.” he frowns and scoots closer, arms wrapping around him in an embrace. “i’ll stay here, but please—“ bruce shifts so he can pull the blanket up over the both of them. “please, get some rest.”

when thor is being uncharacteristically quiet, bruce looks up, but only to see that thor’s eye has slipped shut and he’s beginning to snore softly. wow, is that all he needed to say to convince him? jesus.

although, bruce does smile to himself as he curls up against thor and let’s his eyes slide shut, ready to fall asleep for the third time while on this ship. he really isn’t sure how long he’s going to be here, or how long any of them are going to be here, but thor and him are going to have a lot of time together. _they have things to talk about._

for now, bruce is happy to focus on the fact that he somehow has his feelings returned as he drifts off to sleep in thor’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: i'm making a second chapter for this. it's pretty much going to be the same thing as this chapter, but with thor's thoughts and his whole POV. i might even put in what valkyrie wanted to talk about, and also what was going through thor's head before bruce walked into his room. stay tuned!


	2. bruce is his constant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so, when did thor fall in love? maybe he doesn’t even know, but soon, he’s going to make it known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's pretty much the same as the last chapter, but told in thor's pov. he deals with things that happened in ragnarok, and it's pretty tough not having someone to comfort you. that's when bruce comes in. 
> 
> thank you for all of the kind words on my fic. this was my first one that i ever wrote so i was extremely anxious, but you all have been so kind!  
> follow me on twitter @brucethorr <3 i tweet about these boys a lot and sometimes post progress while writing

a lot of shit has happened in the past week, even two. but there’s always been a constant there. bruce. that man is the last thing keeping him stable through all of this wreckage. tough decisions had to be made on a very short notice, and thankfully the smaller man had been there through all of it.  
  
finding him on sakaar was a complete shock, but it also brought him immense joy. at first, he thought maybe he wouldn’t get the hulk to side with him, or if he could even get bruce to show again. that scared the _hell_ out of him. bruce… bruce was one of his closest friends, at least, in his mind he was. thor was never exactly sure how the scientist saw their friendship, but frankly, it didn’t matter.  
  
he has always worried about bruce and he’s done his part to make sure he was alright. when the hulk disappeared after they defeated ultron, the worry for him ate him alive. he would’ve searched for him if it wasn’t for the impending doom looming on his shoulders. _ragnarok_.  
  
so, yes, he was worried about banner, but for two years he had more pressing matters to look into.  
  
flash forward in time to _now_.  
  
when is now, exactly? _now_ is about 15 hours after they’ve escaped the destruction of asgard. well, not asgard. the place they _lived_. asgard was never a place, it was a people. his people are safe.  
  
thor has been sitting in bruce’s room for hours on end. after the battle, they gathered hulk and whether it be from exhaustion or something else, he immediately shrunk back down into the scientist as soon as he was on board. bruce hadn’t said anything, in fact, he wasn’t even conscious. he just lied there in a heap, and thor was quick to gather him in his arms and take him to an unoccupied room.  
  
he wanted to stay here, by his side, until he rose. he wanted to stay here until he talked, opened his eyes, _something_.  
  
_i’ve lost so much. i can’t lose him too._  
  
thor doesn’t sleep. as he waits for bruce to wake up, he stays conscious, lost in thought. a few times he got a visitor poking their head into the room. he either shook his head, signaling that bruce hasn’t risen yet; or it was someone giving him news and they were dismissed with a nod. since they’re on the course to midgard, there’s not much to do other than wait out the trip.  
  
during the hours, thor had spoken silent prayers to everyone he could think of. his father, his mother, all of his ancestors. at one point, heimdall even sensed his distress, and walked into assure thor that bruce would be fine, he would awaken. but he didn’t want to believe him until he finally saw it for himself.  
  
hours later, there was movement and sound. his heart leapt in his chest and he sat up more, trying to keep his calm as he kept his eye locked onto him.  
  
“...banner?”  
  
bruce looked at him with obvious confusion, and the god stood so he could walk over and join bruce on the bed.  
  
“thor?”  
  
hearing him speak was such a relief, it nearly made him tear up on the spot.  
  
so, they spoke and sat together for an amount of time that wasn’t nearly enough. he gets hours by bruce’s side, but of course, right as he wakes up he needs to leave the room.  
  
thor reluctantly leaves the room after advising bruce to get more rest. with every step he took, the urge to turn back and rush into bruce’s room so that he could hold him in his arms grew stronger. but, with a _great_ deal of strength, he pushed that feeling down and followed valkyrie into her room.

   
  
“alright,” she breathes, clearly exhausted as she rubs at her temples and walks in a circle a few times. “thor.”  
  
“valkyrie.”  
  
“midgard? that’s your _best_ idea?” there’s a bite in her tone and she stops pacing, arms folded across her chest as she faces thor directly, an eyebrow raised.  
  
the question makes him frown. what is _that_ supposed to mean? his _best_ idea? no one else offered suggestions, and right now, they don’t have much _choice_. “my best idea? enlighten me, brunnhilde. i am doing my very best here. do you have a better place in mind? destroying asgard was our only chance of escaping. it was our only chance of surviving, and midgard is the only place i know of where we can start. i have people there, people i can trust and people i care for. i understand you’re angry, i’m angry, but unless you think of a better idea, you know which room is mine. if you have anything else you want to chastise me for, come find me.”  
  
towards the end, his voice had grown awfully loud; all of his emotions rising right up to the surface. all of them were on edge. thor turns on his foot and marches out of the room, not staying to listen to her speak.

   
she takes him away from the side of the man he’s been worrying over for hours, only to _question_ his decision? she should’ve done it hours ago, or even when he made the decision in the _first_ place. midgard may not be the answer, but it’s _somewhere_ to start and it’s somewhere to look for some guidance. 

  
when he enters his own room at the other end of the hall, he kicks something with a shout and it hits the wall with a loud clang.  
  
infinity stones? _nothing_. his father? _dead_. his home? _destroyed_. his people? alive, but almost barely. so many questions are stirred up in his head, and over the next few minutes he’s pacing back and forth, cursing out so many things that come to mind.  
  
eventually, he breaks and collapses on the edge of his bed, face falling into his hands. thor’s shoulders shake as he quietly weeps. he’s been holding it together, somehow, ever since his father died. ever since that it’s been constant movement.  
  
**_constant_**.  
  
his thoughts turn down a different path completely, and suddenly, the only thing he sees in his mind and behind his eyelid is _bruce_ .  
  
it seems like a cruel joke, almost, for how much he’s fallen for this man. there must’ve been feelings there for a while, but he never had a chance to think deeply about them.  
  
instead of sitting here and weeping, he decides to focus solely on banner. his beautiful smile, his gorgeous brown eyes, the laugh that makes his chest feel all fuzzy, the sudden hugs, and — everything. the way he worries about every little thing, but also how he’s incredibly smart and he admires that. through his tears, his frown starts to waver and crack into a faint smile, a tear rolling down his cheek.  
  
maybe, just maybe, he’ll tell bruce how he makes him feel. a lot has been taken from him already, and… bruce means so much. he thinks the world of him. he has courted many in his time, but none of them have made him feel this level of happiness. he’s never felt this strongly for another person, he’s never wanted to lay his life down for someone like this.  
  
for the next few hours, thor relaxes. he thinks about bruce and what he wants to tell him exactly. but thinking too hard on this matter twists his stomach into a thousand knots and he starts worrying that it might be a terrible idea. he cherishes the close friendship they’ve built with one another. what if telling him or expressing how he feels completely ruins that?  
  
he wishes he could go to someone for some guidance right now, but… many of the people on this craft are sleeping. loki could be awake, but he’d just be a tease. there’s brunnhilde, but he’s still upset with her. not as much _now_ , but still upset.  
  
so instead, he stays on the edge of his bed, nerves chewing on his insides.  
  
as he worries, a sudden sound causes him to startle, heart stopping for a second as he looks up. his brief moment of panic is dampened when bruce starts apologizing; the tense feeling in his chest quickly being replaced with that familiar fuzzy feeling.  
  
the man is talking, saying something, but he really isn’t processing much of it as he immediately stands and crosses the room in two long strides and takes banner into his arms, holding him close and pressing his nose into the hair on the side of his head. thor’s eye slips shut and he holds him closer, focusing on how bruce is here, _alive_ and well. he doesn’t have to worry anymore. when arms snake around him in return, a smile appears on his lips.  
  
_tell him. tell him,_ **_odinson_** _, you fool._  
  
bruce starts to talk but thor pulls back so that he can look at him in the eyes, a hand resting on his shoulder. “i’m fine, banner. just…” he trails off. is he, though? he’s not fine, and even though he’s not crying anymore and actively mourning over the things that were lost -- his expression falls and his heart sinks into his stomach and he stares into the eyes of the man in front of him. “my father, my home planet… it’s gone. i feel like i could’ve… prevented all of this, somehow, but i didn’t. i don’t even know where to take these people, i don’t—“ suddenly, he’s the one being cut off as bruce starts to comfort him.  
  
thor gives in immediately and follows him to the bed, heart aching immensely. he hasn’t received comfort from anyone at all. there has been… a bit, but everyone else on this ship have been affected too. they’re all in mourning.  
  
“you did everything you could, honey.” that’s the phrase that rips thor out of his thoughts. it’s the sweet term of endearment that suddenly warms him up and he pulls away from banner just enough so that he can look at him, but they’re still _awfully_ close to one another.  
  
“banner,” he says softly. “don’t apologize. i was… having a hard time before… before you came in here. truly, all i need is your company right now.” he smiles, feeling lighter than ever before. thor places a hand on bruce’s jaw and revels in the reaction that gets out of him. he thinks maybe he’s crossing a boundary here, but then bruce talks and washes those worries away.

   
“— _bruce_. you can call me bruce, thor.”

   
_oh, damn this man._

  
he wants to kiss him. right now, he _really_ wants to kiss him. thor’s fingers thread into the curls on the back of banner’s head, his eye flicking back and forth between his lips and his gorgeous brown eyes.

“ _bruce_.” thor says, his tone dripping with adoration. they’re on a first name basis now, he needs to remember that. “bruce…” thor says again, the gap between them closing slowly.

  
“thor?”

  
he sees bruce hesitating. the scientist looks nervous, unsure.  
  
  
_what else do i have to lose?_  
  
  
so he takes a leap of faith, and asks what’s on his mind. “ _may i kiss you?_ ”  
  
  
the question falls off his tongue easily, but in the moments following it, it feels as if someone dropped mjölnir right onto his chest. he can’t move, he can’t breathe.  
  
  
_gods, i shouldn’t have asked. banner has been nothing but an amazing friend, and here i’ve gone and—_

   
those thoughts are cut short when thor spots the affirming nod from bruce. without a second thought, he finally closes the gap between them and kisses him firmly, both of his hands cradling his head. thor feels like he’s going to burst, he’s not even sure if he’s alive anymore. this easily could be valhalla, but even if it is, he’s going to enjoy this.  
  
he soon has his lap full of bruce and he grins against his lips, and only moments later thor is flipping their positions completely so that bruce is on his back and he’s hovering over him. everything is going at wild speeds, speeds he almost can’t keep up with.

   
he _laughs_ when bruce asks “is this real?”

   
“very real, my dear.” he kisses him again, his _love_.

   
he’s happy to stay like this. kissing bruce and forgetting everything else for a while, but then a question is being asked and he almost wants to groan, but… he listens, and answers the best he can.

   
“...months. maybe more.” it’s the truth. there’s shock on bruce’s face and it almost makes him want to laugh again. the man beneath him doesn’t say it, but it seems as if he wasn’t the only one harboring a lot of feelings. that makes him heart swell. thor decides to move so that he’s lying on his side next to him, a hand lingering on the small of bruce’s back.

   
“i’ve always… thought you were gorgeous, banner. there’s always been something about you that has drawn me to you.” there’s… so much he wants to say. but even with the confidence he has, when the man he loves it looking at him like _that_ and listening to intently, it’s hard to say everything that he wants.

   
he starts tracing bruce’s jawline with his fingertips and he brushes a thumb over the spot below his eye. “you’re always so fascinating with your knowledge and smart thinking, and—“ he exhales, a grin on his lips. “...i’m at a bit of a loss for words.” thor cradles his head in his hand and leans in, but only to rest his forehead against his, eyes drifting shut. “you are an amazing man, i never thought you’d feel the same for me.”

   
it’s the damned truth. it sounds… ridiculous, out loud, but there was a few times where he truly thought banner would never return these feelings. even when he was overthinking everything earlier, it was certainly a thought he had.

   
“oh, _thor,_ ” bruce says, and presses his face into thor’s neck.

   
_gods, it’s so warm…_

   
thor’s eye slips shut. he feels at peace right now with bruce’s arms wrapped around him. the exhaustion weighs down on him as the anxiety drains out of his body. he’s slipping in and out of consciousness when he hears bruce say “thor, _honey._ you’re so stupid.”

   
he cracks his eye open and makes a noise in his throat but doesn’t response. instead, he manages a smile.

   
a moment later bruce is doting on him and telling him to sleep. thor half heartedly attempts argue against that idea, because he _really_ does want to stay awake so he can spend more time with him, but his body is drifting off again. thor doesn’t know what’s said to him after that, because he’s asleep. he’s happy, sleeping, and he vaguely knows that bruce said there’s things they need to talk about.

   
so be it. there’s many things he wants to say when he wakes. things he didn’t know how to say minutes ago.

   
so, when did thor fall in love? maybe _he_ doesn’t even know, but soon, he’s going to make it known.


End file.
